Collapsible containers



Aug. 2, 1955 T. F. KILLEEN COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 iled NOV. 9, 1954 Aug. 2, 1955 T. F. KILLEEN COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 9, 1954 Aug. 2, 19

Filed Nov. 9, 1954 T. F. KILLEEN COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINERS (5 Sheets-Sheet 3 yzvroze.

Unite States Patent Ofifice 2,714,455 Fatented Aug. 2, 1955 CQLLAPSIBLE CONTAINERS Thomas F. Killeen, Worcester, Mass. Application November 9, 1954, Serial No. 467,683 6 Claims. (Cl. 220-7) This invention relates to improvements in collapsible containers, and more particularly to such containers for holding a multiplicity of cartons of milk, or the like, dur ing handling and shipping of the filled cartons, including periods when the milk may be required to be exposed to refrigeration. It should be understood, however, that the containers may be employed for holding any of various other products or things.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a collapsible container which can protectively hold a predetermined number of relatively fragile objects, such as filled paper-stock milk cartons, and which is readily conyertible between set-up and collapsed conditions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rugged collapsible container for protectively holding a multiplicity of paper milk cartons, or the like, and having provision for inter-engagement of adjacent containers in a stack both when the containers are stacked in set-up con dition and when they are stacked in collapsed condition.

A further object of the invention is to provide a collapsible container which provides rigid and rugged protection for contents, such as during shipment of cartons of milk or other items which may require refrigeration, while leaving relatively large open area for free circula tion of air in contact with the contents, the containers being readily collapsible for conservation of space when the empty containers are being returned to the party who shipped the original contents.

Yet another object is to provide a rugged collapsible container having side wall elements which readily are selectively movable between positions in which they constitute side walls of the container and positions in which they overlie the bottom wall of the container thereby permitting free circulation of air through the sides of the container.

It is, moreover, my purpose and object generally to improve the structure, effectiveness and efiiciencyof collapsible containers, and especially such containers of a rugged type which can withstand abuses incident to rough handling, and which are readily convertible from set-up condition to a generally flat collapsed condition for conservation of space in storing and shipping the empty containers.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a milk carton container embodying features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the container of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of a corner fragment of the container of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a view generally similar to Fig. 1 but showing the container at an intermediate stage in the process of collapsing it;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the container;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the completely collapsed container of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is an elevational view in cross-section on line 7-7'of Fig. l but showing side wall elements hinged to completely collapsed the bottom wall of the container and adapted to rest in partially over-lapping relation on the container bottom or to be swung into vertical position for substantially closing the opposite sides of the container, the side wall elements being shown in their said vertical positions; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary top plan view of the container of Fig. 7 with the hinged side wall elements resting on the container bottom wall.

Referring to the drawings, the collapsible container of Figs. 1-6 is designed for holding a predetermined number of conventional paper-stock milk cartons, although it obviously may be employed for holding other items of comparable size and shape.

Two similar end members 10, 10 each has an end wall 11 with opposite right angularly projecting side flanges 12, 12 and a bottom flange 14 which extends between the side flanges. Each side flange 12 has an upper inclined slot 16 and a lower inclined slot 18 therein. The two slots in each flange extend in straight parallelism excepting that the upper slot 16, at its upper end curves upwardly and toward the end wall 12, as at 17 whereas the slot 18 may be straight from end to end thereof. A rigid rod 29 extends between the two end at each side thereof, and each rod 20 is pivotally connected at one of its ends to a side flange 12 of one end member and pivotally connected at its other end to a side flange 12 of the other end member, the said pivotal connections of rod 2% being indicated at 22 at locations between the upper and lower slots in the side flanges 12.

A rigid bottom wall element 24 has one end portion thereof extending between the side flanges 12 of one end member it) and has the opposite end portion thereof extending between the side flanges 12 of the other end member 10. The opposite end portions of bottom element 24 are connected to the adjacent side flanges 12 by pins or lugs on element 24 which extend through the lower slots 13 and which preferably are exteriorly headed as at 26.

Rigid rod sections 30, 32 are hinged together at 34 and one of these hinged pairs of rod sections extends between the end members it ill! at each side of the container, with their outer ends movably connected to the adjacent side flanges 12 by means of pins or lugs on the rod sections which project slidably through the upper slots 16, 17, with their outer ends preferably headed as at 36. When the container is in its set up condition of Fig. 1, the pairs of rod sections 3t), 32 will be approximately straight with the headed pins or lugs at 36 engaged in the upper extremities of the curved portions 17 of the slots 16. The bottom element 24 at this time will be in its lowermost position with the headed pins or lugs at 26 engaged in the lower extremities of the slots 18.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 4, the container may be collapsed by lifting the two hinged connections at 34 of rod sections 39, 32 enough to permit the pins or lugs at the outer ends of the rod sections to be moved into the straight portions of upper slots 16, after which the rod sections 30, 32 may be pressed downward to straight condition with their outer ends guided down the slots 16 and with the end members 10, it swinging about the end connections at 22 of the rigid rods 20. Simultaneously bottom element 24 will be forced upward by the connections at 26 in lower slots 18 until the container is in its fully collapsed generally flat condition of Figs. 5 and 6.

A bead 38 may be provided along the edge of each end member 10 which is upper-most when the container is set up for use, as in Fig. 1, and an opening ii} (Fig. 6) through the end wall of each end member adjacent to the bead, provides a handle portion 42 on each end memmembers 10, 10

her for convenience in lifting and carrying the set up container.

A comparable handle portion 44 is provided at the lower edge of each end section to facilitate lifting and carrying of a container when it is in its collapsed condition of Figs. 5 and 6. The handle portions 44 are provided by forming openings 46, 4% respectively in the end wall and bottom flange of each end member, closely adjacent to the corner juncture of said end wall and bottom flange, as best seen in Fig. 5.

Inasmuch as containers for use in holding paperstock cartons of milk during shipment, and at other times, may be subjected to rough treatment both when in use and particularly when being returned in collapsed condition, it is desirable to employ relatively rugged stock. However, weight of the empty containers is an important item of consideration. Hence, when the container parts are formed of relatively heavy metal stock, it is preferable to eliminate unnecessary Weight by elimination of unessential stock such as by the provision of multiple openings 50 in the bottom wall element 24, and by elimination of considerable portions of the bottom flange 14 of each end member 10, as shown in Fig. 3 and, partially by dotted lines, in Fig. 2.

Ordinarily, the filled set-up containers are stacked one upon another during shipment and cartage and it is desirable that they have inter-engaging portions for maintaining them in stack alignment. For this purpose, the bottom flange 14 at each corner of each end member 10 has the right angularly extending depending rib 52 for engaging within the upper corners of the end members 10 of a container next below in a stack.

Also, the collapsed containers customarily are stacked for conservation of space when being returned, and it is desirable that adjacent ones inter-engage to maintain them in alignment in a stack. The edge of each bottom flange 14 has a projection 54 thereon at each corner which is adapted to engage in a recess 56 which is' provided, one at each lower corner region of each end wall of the end members 10. Hence, referring to Fig. 5, a projection 54 depends at each corner of the collapsed container for engaging in corner recesses 56 in the end walls of the container next below in a stack.

My improved container of Figs. 16 may be provided with side walls, if desired, to adapt it for holding machine shop parts and tools, or any other relatively small objects.

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate sheet metal side wall elements 58, 60 which may be suitably hinged at 62 to the bottom wall element 24. These side wall elements 58 may be secured to the rigid rod sections 30, 32 by any suitable releasable means 64, to constitute side walls for the container, as in Fig. 7, or they may rest generally flat- Wise on the bottom wall element 24, with some overlapping, as in Fig. 8, when side walls are not needed or not desired.

It will be obvious that various changes may be made in the disclosed structures within the scope of the invention disclosed, and it is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.

I claim as my invention:

. l. A collapsible container comprising two end wall members, a pair of rigid elements extending between said members at opposite sides thereof, means pivotally connecting similar ends of said elements to one of said members, and means pivotally connecting the other ends of said elements to the other of said members, a rigid bottom wall element extending between said members, means providing a slidable connection between one end of said bottom wall element and one of said end wall members, means providing a slidable connection between the other end of said bottom wall element and the other of said end wall members, said slidable connections per- 4 mitting rotation of each end wall member through ap proximately 90 about the axis of its said pivotal connections to said rigid elements, said bottom wall element moving relative to the axes of said pivotal connections in response to rotation of said end wall members, and releasable means for locking said end wall members and bottom wall element in substantially rigid condition when said end wall members are in parallelism and are substantially perpendicular to said bottom wall element.

2. A collapsible container comprising two end wall members, a pair of rigid elements extending between said members at opposite sides thereof and maintaining them in substantially spaced relation, similar ends of said rigid elements being pivotally connected to opposite sides of one of said members and the other ends of said rigid elements being pivotally connected to opposite sides of the other of said members, tracks formed in each said member at opposite sides thereof, one pair of said tracks in each said member being to one side of the axis of said pivotal connection of the member to said rigid elements and another pair of said tracks in each said member being to the other side of the axis of said pivotal connection of the member to said rigid elements, a bottom wall element having one end mounted on one of said end wall members for movement along one of said pair of tracks therein and having its other end mounted on the other of said end wall members for movement along one of said pair of tracks therein, and locking means extending between said end wall members and having opposite end portions movably connected to said end wall members at the locations of the other of said pair of tracks therein, whereby said end portions may be moved along the latter said tracks, said locking means comprising rigid hingedtogether members, the axis of whose hinges may be shifted to lock said end wall members in rigid parallelism and to release said end wall members for movement about their said pivotal connections to said rigid elements.

3. A collapsible container comprising two end wall members having a flange extending along opposite sides thereof, means defining an upper and 'a lower slot in each of said side flanges, a pair of rigid rods extending between said members at opposite sides thereof, the opposite ends of said rods being pivotally connected to said side flanges of said members at locations between said upper and lower slots, a bottom wall elementextending between said end wall members and having its opposite end portions pivotally connected to the flanges of said members through said lower slots therein, rigid rod sec tions hingedly connected together at their inner ends and having their outer ends pivotally connected to the flanges of said members through said upper slots therein, said slots having extent in said flanges whereby said bottom wall element moves toward and from said pivotal connections in response to movements of said end wall members about the axes of said pivotal connections, said hinged rod sections being operative to lock said end wall members and bottom wall element in substantially rigid condition when said end wall members are substantially parallel and are substantially perpendicular to said bottom Wall element.

4. A collapsible container comprising two generally similar end sections, each having an end wall with side and bottom flanges projecting generally toward the other end section, a bottom wall element extending between 'said end sections and having its opposite end portions entering between said side flanges of the end walls above the bottom flanges thereof, pin-in-slot connections of said bottom wall member to said side flanges, a pair of rigid rod elements extending between said end sections above said bottom wall element, one at each side ofthe container, similar ends of said rod elements being pivotally connected to the side flanges of one of said end walls and the opposite ends of the rod elements being pivotally connected to the side flanges of the other of said end walls, whereby said end sections may be rotated in opposite directions about their said pivotal connections to said rod elements, said pin-in-slot connections providing for movement of said bottom wall element toward and from said pivotal connections in response to said rotational movements of the end sections, and means for releasably locking said end sections and bottom wall element in a substantially rigid condition with said end walls substantially parallel with each other and substantially perpendicular to said bottom wall element.

5. A collapsible container as defined in claim 4 wherein the said releasable locking means comprises two rod sections hinged together and extending between said end sections at one side of the container, one outer end of said hinged rod sections having pin-in-slot connection to a side flange of one of said end walls above the said pivotal connections of the end sections, and the other outer end of said hinged rod sections having pin-in-slot connection to a side flange of the other of said end Walls above the said pivotal connections of the end sections, whereby said rod sections may be actuated between axially straight and angular conditions to effect locking of said end sections in parallel perpendicularity with said bottom wall element and to effect release of said end sections to permit said rotations of the end sections.

6. A collapsible container comprising two end wall members, a pair of rigid elements extending between said members at opposite sides thereof and maintaining them in substantially spaced relation, similar ends of said rigid elements being pivotally connected to opposite sides of one of said members and the other ends of said rigid elements being pivotally connected to opposite sides of the other of said members, tracks formed in each said member at opposite sides thereof, one pair of said tracks in each said member being to one side of the axis of said pivotal connection of the member to said rigid elements and another pair of said tracks in each said member being to the other side of the axis of said pivotal connection of the member to said rigid elements, a bottom wall element having one end mounted on one of said end wall members for movement along one of said pair of tracks therein and having its other end mounted on the other of said end wall members for movement along one of said pair of tracks therein, locking means extending between said end wall members and having opposite end portions movably connected to said end wall members at the locations of the other of said pair of tracks therein, whereby said end portions may be moved along the latter said tracks, and side wall members hingedly connected to said bottom wall element and swingable between one position wherein they stand generally perpendicular to said bottom wall element and another position in which they lie generally flat upon said bottom wall element.

No references cited. 

